I've been a New York Knicks fan for as long as I can remember, but something happened several years ago in the NBA that made it unbearable for me to sit through most games. No, I'm not talking about the Knicks have losing season after losing season, however that certainly didn't help the situation. For me the problem was that it became incredibly apparent how insincere most players were about the sport they were playing. As fans, most people understand that when it comes down to it the NBA just like any other professional sport is a business, but it is an understanding that is best left in the back of our minds.
Like most things in life the sport of basketball is best played and best enjoyed when the players are putting their heart and soul into every aspect of the game. When winning is what is most important and doing so at any cost is what matters most. Yet several years ago we began to see many players around the league far more concerned about the size of their paycheck then the record of the team. Highlights have become more important then wins and as a father of young boys I have hoped that the days of the New York Knicks hard working players would come again. Granted the Knicks of my era never won a championship, but Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks, and the rest of teams in those years left it on the floor every year. By no means were they a highlight reel but 50 win seasons were common and the playoffs were intoxicating.
I am thankful that there are now some players in the league, like Chris Paul and Lebron James that resemble the heart of the players that made me a fan all those years ago, and I look forward to watching the games with my boys and being able to point out the good things being done on the court instead of averting their attention away from the irresponsible actions of some players. The NBA is coming into a new era where the game will be brought back to the front of the minds of the fans and new and younger fans will be made and the game will be played, seen, taught and learned correctly. With heart and soul.
